The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of artichoke plant, botanically known as Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L., and herein referred to by the cultivar name ‘PS-MSG0677.’
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L., commonly known as Globe artichoke, is a thistle-like perennial herb and is a member of the family Asteraceae. Globe artichokes comprise: leaves, which are pinnately lobed, but primarily spiny; oval capitula composed of an involucre of overlapping layers of large bracts; and a receptacle, which is enlarged and fleshy. Globe artichoke plants may be propagated by division or vegetative means, and are essentially grown for the production of the immature flower heads, which are considered vegetable delicacies. Fresh artichokes may be baked, steamed, or boiled, after which the fleshy receptacle, inner and outer bracts, and parts of the floral stem may be eaten.
The new artichoke cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program carried out by the inventor, William J. Colfer, in Chowchilla, Calif., in 2007. The new artichoke cultivar ‘PS-MSG0677’ is a result of a controlled cross between the female (seed) parent, Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L. designated ‘GGMSC5’ (unpatented) and the male (pollen) parent, Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L. designated ‘GGRCHB01’ (unpatented). The new artichoke ‘PS-MSG0677’ was discovered and selected by the inventor, as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross, following several cycles of self-pollination in a controlled environment in 2004/2005 in Merced County, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the artichoke ‘PS-MSG0677’ by vegetative cuttings was first performed (in August 2006) in Castroville, Calif., and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The term “vegetative cutting” refers to the removal of offshoots or suckers from axillary buds borne at the base of the stem just below the soil surface. The new shoots will develop axillary buds and subsequently produce offshoots in the following season. The “vegetative cutting” was removed from the crown region of the new artichoke ‘PS-MSG0677.’ The new cultivar reproduces true to type.